An Introduction to the Giant Star, Pollux

Have you ever gazed up at the night sky and wondered about the stars twinkling above you? Among the countless stars, there's one named Pollux that stands out. Pollux, also known as Beta Geminorum or β Gem, is the brightest star in the constellation of Gemini, one of the 88 constellations that astronomers recognize. This orange-hued star is an evolved giant and is closer to the Sun than any other giant star. ## The Size of Pollux Pollux is incredibly large, much bigger than our Sun. In terms of comparison, if our Sun was the size of a grapefruit, Pollux would be about the size of a basketball! That's approximately 9 times the size of the Sun. Imagine nine Suns lined up side by side, and you'll get a sense of just how big Pollux is.

A Closer Look at Pollux's Size Comparisons

• Pollux is about 9 times larger than our Sun.
• If our Sun was a grapefruit, Pollux would be a basketball. - Compared to Earth, Pollux is about 1.8 million times larger. If Earth were the size of a marble, Pollux would be the size of a hot air balloon!

Interesting Facts About Pollux

Pollux is not just interesting because of its size. There's more to this giant star than meets the eye.

• Pollux has an extrasolar planet orbiting it. This planet, named Thestias, was confirmed in 2006. That means Pollux is the sun of its own solar system! - The light we see from Pollux actually left the star 34 years ago. That's because it's located 34 light years away from us. This means when we're looking at Pollux, we're actually seeing how it looked 34 years in the past. - Since 1943, the spectrum of Pollux has served as one of the stable anchor points by which other stars are classified. This makes Pollux very important in the field of astronomy. So the next time you look up at the night sky and spot Pollux, remember, you're not just looking at a star. You're gazing at a giant that's millions of times larger than our planet and serves as a guiding light in the field of astronomy. Isn't that amazing?